Hypnophobia
by NuclearParadise
Summary: Matthew Williams is one of the best psychiatrists in town, priding himself in his work. But when a little Russian boy with a strange fear comes into his office, his skills are put to the ultimate test. No real pairings
1. A short little visit

**A/N -**

**Hypnophobia: Also called Clinophobia/Somniphobia is the irrational or excessive fear of sleep. (thanks Wikipedia)**

**I apologize if some information in this is a bit off, I'm trying my best here. :P**

**Please, Enjoy~**

Matthew sat in his office, scribbling down some notes on his notepad. He stuck the end of his pen under his upper lip as he thought. The whole page was full of earlier observations from his patients. His current occupation always had him busy, always thinking. Matthew was a psychiatrist for both children and adults having trouble coping with earlier tragedies. It made him happy to help them, feeling and healing their pain. The human mind was a beautiful thing that could easily be corrupted and not so easily fixed. For him, it was a natural calling. His brother used to be one of his patients, having an issue with bullying in school. After a few months of counseling, he had him back to his usually bright and enthusiastic self. He would never forget his brother's goofy smile as he walked out his office door.

Now all he had to do was write down a few more notes on his last patient and then he can take a lunch brake. He could almost taste his special blueberry pancake lunch he saved from that morning. His eyes focused back on the words he was writing, and his hand began to move.

Not even five minutes later, when he was about to finish his work, his phone rang. Matthew cleared his throat and set his pen down before picking it up and setting it by his ear. "Dr. Williams speaking." He answered.

On the other end his secretary spoke with a cheerful tone. "There's a Mrs. Irunya Braginsky here to see you, do you want me to send her in?"

Matthew raised a brow, turning his wheeled chair so he could glance over at his schedule hanging on the wall. In neat cursive writing over the three o' clock spot was the same name mentioned. He nodded, and leaned back over his desk. "Yes, please send her in."

"Ok, she will be there shortly." The woman hung up without another word, signalling for Matthew to do the same. He hung up and picked up his pen to finish the last few words on his observation. In his mind, he wondered what the woman would be like, he hadn't seen her yet after talking to her on the phone. She had told him something about her son and how he was behaving strangely and acting lethargic. He could already guess that it was probably something about school, as his brother had that problem as well. But he knew that he couldn't rule out some of the other possibilities, or else he may misdiagnose the poor thing.

Matthew quietly got out of his chair, and walked over to his bookshelf full of folders and thick hardcover books. His eyes skimmed over them, inspecting each letter, until he landed on the "B" section. He bent over and looked through them closer, taking a moment before pulling out a thin manila folder. A small smile spread across his face when he read the name. "Ivan Braginsky" He had made a new folder after the boy's mother called, keeping to his neat and organized tendencies.

A sudden knocking sound drew his violet gaze over towards his door, causing him to close the file and stride over to his desk. "Come in." His voice wasn't so loud, but it was heard and that's all he was aiming for. There was a short pause before his knob turned and the wooden door creaked open. A deep blue eye peeked inside, before the door opened a bit more to reveal a busty woman with short silvery hair. She had a meek smile on her face as she entered, a small shadow following after her.

"Good morning Mr. Williams." She glanced down behind her and whispered something quickly, turning back to face the Canadian.

Matthew nodded his head and smiled. "A good morning indeed, how are you doing Mrs. Braginsky?" She strode over and sat in the chair sitting in front of his desk. The small boy that came in with her followed close behind, hiding behind her chair. Matthew looked a bit puzzled, but shrugged and peered at the woman in front of him.

"Just fine, thank you. I'm sure you know why I'm here, right?" She smiled, trying to hide her nervousness. The blonde male nodded in understanding, blinking over at the back of her chair.

"You can come out Ivan, I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was gentle and had reassuring properties.

The shadow behind Irunya's chair shifted and a soft whimper came from it. Matthew's lips pulled into a soft frown.

"Oh, I'm sorry about him, he's just very easily spooked." Irunya turned around to face the small boy, speaking in hushed Russian.

"That's ok, take as long as you need." He watched them interact, getting a quick glimpse of the boy's face. He was pudgy with dark purple eyes and beige hair. Judging by the way he acted, Matthew could guess that he was very shy like himself.

Irunya held her hand down for the boy to grasp it, a light frown on her face. "It's ok Ivan, Mr. Williams won't hurt you."

Matthew tilted his head as the boy gripped his mothers hand and inched forward nervously. He was taken aback by the sheer severity of his health. Ivan's eyes were wide with fear, dark circles rounding them like a raccoon's, and his skin was a pasty white, deathly even. The poor thing looked as if he had seen a ghost. He stared up at Matthew with huge terror-filled eyes, a frown on his face. "M-mama, I see the _thing_ again..." Ivan whispered, his eyes focusing past Matthew's head. This definitely drew his attention and raised a few red flags. What did the boy mean by "_thing?"_

He played along to see if he could get any more information. His head swiveled to look at the light-green wall behind him. He looked back at Ivan with a questioning brow. "What does this... thing look like Ivan?"

Ivan's eyes didn't move from where they were, his frown deepening. "What do you mean? Can't you see it? It's right there." He lifted a pudgy finger up to point at the clearly empty wall. Matthew glanced over there again, and shook his head.

"No, but could you describe him for me?" He quickly glanced over towards Irunya and made a gesture for her to go back into the other room for a minute.

Irunya nodded her head quickly, understanding shining in her eyes. "O-ok... I will be back Ivan, you just tell Matthew here what it is that has been bothering you." She stood up and waved towards her son, who was too preoccupied with the wall to notice. Her face pulled into a worried frown and she left through the door. It made a click, and Ivan quickly glanced over, frightened by the sudden sound.

Matthew stood up from his chair and knelt by the boy's side. "It's ok Ivan, there's nothing coming to get you."

The Russian boy kept staring at the wall, unsurely moving his vision over to Matthew. "He doesn't like me..." He frowned sadly, looking down at the ground. Matthew leaned closer and set his hand on his shoulder gently.

"Who doesn't like you?" _"__He must be hallucinating, that would explain the dark circles around his eyes." _He looked down at the ground where Ivan was currently facing.

Ivan looked up with a frown. "The _thing_, he doesn't leave me alone!"

"Have you told him to go away?" Matthew whispered.

"Da, but he doesn't stop! When I try to nap like Mama tells me to, he always claws at my blankets! I-I try to be a good boy and nap, but he wont let me!" A tear formed in the corner of his eye and his breathing quickened.

Matthew pulled him into a hug for comfort, rubbing his back. Ivan hiccuped as more tears began to roll down his face. He picked him up and carried him over to the small table sitting in the corner of his room. There were colorful toys and sheets of paper decorating the whole area. He had a small section for children to help them feel more comfortable while they were here. Sitting him down in a plastic red chair, he made sure that Ivan was comfortable.

"It's ok Ivan, he wont get you. I'll make sure of that." He lifted the boy's chin with a finger, smiling in an effort to make the boy cheer up the slightest bit.

Ivan sniffled, but did not seem to look any happier, forcibly looking down at his boots. "He doesn't like it when people are nice to me. He said that he would hurt me if I tried to get away from him." He mumbled, sinking deep into the pinkish scarf wrapped loosely around his neck.

Matthew looked a bit confused and concerned, but he smiled none-the-less. "Well I'm not afraid, he's just going to have to get through me." He fixed a loose piece of hair hanging in the boy's face, trying to get his attention.

Ivan looked up at him with dark depressed eyes. "But if you can't see him, he wont go after you.."A moment of silence followed. Matthew slowly blinked, taking in all of the information he was given.

_"This one may take a while." _"We don't have to talk about him anymore if you like, Ivan." He offered, seeing as the boy was shaking violently and looked to be on the brink of crying again.

The Russian boy played with the end of his scarf for a moment, nodding his head slowly. "Mr. Williams?"

Matthew tilted his head. "Yes? You can call me Matthew by the way."

"Erm... Matthew, can... can I please go home? I don't really like it here." He seemed a little uncomfortable, which Matthew could easily understand.

He nodded his head. "Yes, you can go home for today."

Ivan reached his hand up, opening his palm for Matthew to take. He did so with a small smile. He led him over to the door and opened it, taking him through the hallway and back to the waiting room. Ivan's mother Irunya sat on the end, a health magazine in her hands.

"Mама!" The little boy called, letting go of Matthew's hand to race to his mother's side. Irunya looked up from the article she was currently reading and to her son, a smile lighting her face. She scooped him up in a hug and stood up with her purse slumped up over her shoulder.

"How was your first visit to Mr. Williams?" She asked, her enthusiasm radiating like sunlight. Ivan didn't answer, looking a bit unnerved with the word "first" being mentioned.

"He did very well, I hope to see him very soon." Matthew peeked over the woman's shoulder to wave to Ivan, who ignored him. He could also understand that, not every child enjoyed their first visit to his office as the first few visits were filled with pain and memories. There must always be a little pain before the healing can begin, even for little kids like Ivan.

"Thank you Mr. Williams, we will be back in a week to try again." She nodded. "Say goodbye to the nice man, Vanya."

"Do svidaniya..." Ivan said, sounding a bit detached.

Matthew waved again, watching Irunya leave through the door again, her doing the same. He let out a long sigh and smiled towards his secretary. "Do you have his medical records from his doctor? I might need to take a look at those before lunch." He wouldn't be able to eat until he read into his new patient a little further.

"I'll print them out for you, go have lunch, you look like you need it." She nodded towards him as she spoke. "I'll have them on your desk in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Elizabeta." Matthew turned around and retreated back to his office to eat his lunch in peace. _"__Hopefully the next visit will be more productive. I really have to get him comfortable here if I am to help him through this..."_

**A/N Translations: Do Svidaniya (до свидания) =Goodbye**


	2. Winter

Matthew sat at his desk, a plastic fork in one hand and a pen in the other. His half eaten lunch sat next to him, neglected for the past fifteen minutes. He couldn't help but become engrossed in his new patient's file. It helped him to better imagine what it was like through their eyes, and ultimately to cure them. His violet-blue eyes skimmed over the page, reading the symptoms described by Ivan's doctor.

"Confusion, Drowsiness, Sudden states of panic, irregular heartbeat, hallucinations, slowed reactions..." The list went on.

"Hmmm..." Matthew twirled the pen in between his fingers, thinking. _"It has to be some sort of sleep disorder. This is much more than what I thought it was." _He glanced over towards the small photo of the boy, clearly seeing his sickly image. _"It can't be because of his transition between Russia and America, it says he's had this problem back home too..." _His mind raced, going over multiple explanations and afflictions. Matthew dismissively picked a piece of blueberry pancake from his plate and held it on his fork, still staring down at the papers. "Chronic Insomnia?" He guessed out loud, taking a bite of his meal. "_Ivan had complained about not being able to sleep..."_

There was a sudden weight on his shoulder, feeling much like a hand. Mattie tensed up and glanced behind himself with a confused expression. "_Who?"_ He saw his wall, decorated heavily in pictures drawn by his patients. No other signs of life. He raised a brow, chewing his food slowly in confusion. Hesitantly, he turned back to his work, his body relaxing slightly.

"I must be imagining things." He let out a low sigh and continued to survey his work. _"Too many late nights I suppose." _Gently, he rested his head down on his desk to think. He closed his eyes to block out the harsh sunlight filling his room. _"__I don't have another appointment until five, maybe some rest will help me think better." _He sighed, allowing himself to tumble into the darkness of sleep.

He opened his eyes again to find himself back in his office. The room was silent except for the clock hung above his head on the wall. _Tick... tock... tick... tock... tick... tock..._

"_You are so close."_ A voice echoed in his head, coming from all directions. The temperature in the room plummeted, chills running up his spine.

Fear began to crawl up in his chest. "Wha-" He could feel a ghostly touch of a finger to his lips. His eyes widened, this wasn't happening... He had to be dreaming still.

_"Shhh."_ There seemed to be another presence in the room, but he couldn't pinpoint it's exact location. "Don't speak, or you will be making much louder sounds." The voice was masculine, sounding ancient. Matthew closed his eyes tight, trying to awaken from this terrible dream beginning to unfold before him. _"It is not your place to 'help' him, he wished this upon himself. Leave us be, or you will be sorry."_ The voice had a rugged edge to it, the ghostly touch wrapping it's self around the bottom of his chin. Matthew didn't understand what this 'phantom' was warning him about. He certainly didn't know anyone who would ask of such things from him. His chin tingled as the invisible touch ran along the surface of his skin, feeling about ten degrees colder than the room around him.

_"Just wake up already! Please!"_ he pleaded mentally.

_"You can only wish that this was just a dream." _The chilling touch tightened until Matthew felt it break skin. He made a pained whimper, drawing his head back suddenly.

"W-hat do you want from me!?" He begged desperately.

_"I want you to keep your miserable mouth shut! That pathetic child cannot be saved, and you know it! Give up while you still can, or I will make sure that your body is lost beneath the endless tundra of ice and snow!" _The voice faded, bringing with it the cold and the painful touch. Matthew sat stunned for a few more moments, not daring to open his eyes still. There was a soft sound, almost like that of footsteps. He peeked his eye open, his face still pulled into a fearful frown. The room had grown dark, twilight spilling through his only window. At first he felt neutrally the same, guessing that he had woken up, until he realized.

"W-wait, it was the afternoon when I was working a few moments ago..." His eyes flicked from the window over to the space in front of his desk, another rustling sound pulling his attention. He almost jumped from his seat in surprise.

Ivan stood in front of his desk, his gloved hands clasped together at his lap. He was still, his amethyst eyes staring unblinking into his own. A chill ran up his spine, the child looked exactly as he had when he visited last, sickly and fatigued. Ivan released his grip on one hand and slowly raised it up to his face, he made a shushing gesture with a finger to his lips. He was frowning.

Matthew's muscles stiffened, what was going on!? Before he could say anything more, Ivan turned around and made his way through his office door. He couldn't do anything but stare, uncertainty clouding his mind. _"This can't be real... This can't be real..."_

His eyes snapped open and he threw his head up. He gasped loudly, his heart pounding in fear. Matthew quickly looked over the room for any angry spirits or little Russian children. The afternoon sun shone brightly through his window, brightening up the room. He let out a relieved sigh, all of his muscles relaxing.

"It was just a dream..." He breathed shakily, holding his hand to his forehead. _"It felt so real." _The feeling of those freezing invisible fingers, the little boy standing before his desk, it was so realistic. Even though he knew it was a dream, he still felt a bit on edge.

Matthew glanced down at the surface of his desk, fully calmed. In front of him sat his scattered files, his pen resting on the corner of the page. A pool of blueish black ran from a crack in his pen, staining the papers a few centimeters into the corner.

"Crap!" He stood up from his chair, picking up the dripping utensil. "What happened while I was asleep?" Matthew hurried out of the room to go get some paper towels, a frown tugging at his lips. Hopefully he hadn't slept for too long, he still had a few more patients that afternoon.

* * *

><p>Ivan sat on his wooden swing hanging from the tree in his mother's front yard, rocking sluggishly back and forth. His legs dangled down, but did not touch the ground. He allowed it come to a stop, his eyes trained on the ground below. It was autumn, winter would be coming soon. He didn't like winter, and winter didn't like him. Whenever the terrible season came, it always brought with it more frequent hallucinations and terrors. He wanted so dearly for everyone else to see the thing, but it never showed itself when they glanced his way. It confused and saddened him. His mother thought he was crazy, he knew it even if she wouldn't dare say it. The children at school would make fun of him for his unfavorable companion. They teased him and pushed him around, telling him to make 'the thing' appear. He couldn't just make him appear, the thing did as he pleased. Sometimes he wished that the thing would leave him alone and go mess with one of them instead. But then again, no one deserved this torment.<p>

As if by the mere thought of it, the thing appeared, holding onto the rope of his swing. Even if he expected it this time, Ivan could still feel a jolt of fear pass through him.

_"What's wrong child? You look down." _The shadowy figure rounded him, his inky black cloak streaking behind him. Ivan looked up at him with huge terrified eyes. It was the image of an old man, his graying hair swept back behind his ears to show two piercing blue eyes. His face was wrinkled with age and anger, a terrible frown pulling at his ancient lips. _"You didn't really think that I would show myself to just anyone, did you? That man isn't a wizard or sorcerer from your storybooks, he is just a miserable excuse for a doctor. He couldn't even patch up a scratch."_

"Mama said that he's supposed to heal my head, not my body." Ivan said innocently, earning a raspy laugh from the old man.

_"So you're actually going to listen to her now? When was she ever right about these things? What about the past seven 'head doctors'? Weren't they supposed to help you?" _The figure knelt down to look him directly in the face.

Ivan closed his eyes and shook his head. "Mama said that he was different."

_"Oh? Different you say? How is that?" _The thing smiled mockingly. _"What does this one do? Part his hair differently? Or does he actually have some hope in you?"_

Ivan's frown deepened. "He can get rid of you."

The air surrounding them dropped in temperature drastically. The old man narrowed his eyes angrily. _"You will never get rid of me. I am part of you."_ His voice chilled Ivan's bones, sending shivers down his spine.

"N-no you're not." Ivan choked out, feeling his throat tighten in fear.

The man tisked with a mocking smirk. _"Keep telling yourself that boy, but the longer you do the harder it will be to accept me."_

Ivan shook his head, a tear running down his cheek. "J-just leave me alone!"

_"It will be my pleasure, crybaby." _He poked him playfully in the nose and evaporated in the chilly autumn air, his eyes the last thing to disappear.

Ivan sniffled and hugged himself in an effort to calm down. He hated winter, hated, hated, hated it. After a few moments he decided that he didn't want to stay outside any longer and walked inside.

As usual his mother was standing in front of the stove with a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. When he passed by he heard her humming along with some random pop song coming from her radio. She turned her head to smile at him. "Hello Vanya, did you have fun outside?"

Ivan wanted to tell her everything, to hug her and have her tell him it was all okay, but he knew what she would think. He was crazy, that's why he was forced to go to psychiatrist after psychiatrist in hopes of being cured.

"Da." He said simply, walking lazily to the dining room table. Slumping down in a chair, he rested his head on the papers strewn out across it's surface. He made sure to keep his eyes open, he didn't want to see that rotten old man's wrinkly face.

Irunya came into the room with bowl held carefully in her hands. "Do you want help with your homework?" She asked, setting the bowl beside his head.

Her eyes traveled to the paper under his head labeled "Math: Adding and Subtracting"

Ivan grumbled. "No, thanks." He yawned, and rubbed his eyes to stay awake.

His mother sat down across from him, a concerned frown on her face. It was hard for her to see him like this, always tired and depressed. She reached over and tapped his head. "Don't you at least want to eat dinner? It's your favorite, borscht." She tried her best to cheer him up, a warm smile on her face.

He picked up his head and blinked towards her. A frown pulled at his lips and he shook his head. "I'm not hungry." He set his head back down on the table.

Irunya frowned with a little sigh. "Are you alright dear? You seem troubled."

Ivan didn't answer, his eyes flicking to the wall to his side. He almost jumped when his shadow danced around, growing taller and darker. It opened it's eyes and a wicked smile stretched across it's face. _"Yes, what is the trouble?" _

He whined and closed his eyes tight. "Please, go away!"

Irunya blinked, shocked at his sudden request. She stared at him for a moment. "Vanya? Are you ok?"

"S-stay away from me! P-please!" He begged, shrinking into his chair.

His mother pushed her chair back silently, standing up to leave. She turned around and left the room, disappearing into the kitchen.

Ivan crawled under the table and hugged his knees close to his chest. "I-I didn't tell her! I promise!"

_"Tell her what? That your afraid to sleep because mean ol' Winter might get you?" _The shadow formed into the old man, an almost friendly smile on his face.

He whimpered and held his hands on his head. "You're mean!"

_"It's getting worse..." _Irunya picked up the phone sitting on the kitchen counter and glanced over to the piece of paper taped to the wall. She dialed the number on the bottom of the list and waited for them to pick up. Every second felt like forever as Ivan murmured hysterically in the other room.

"Hello, Dr. William's office." A female voice answered on the other end.

Irunya nervously tapped the counter top. "Uh, hello, this is Mrs. Braginsky, I came in earlier with my son. I'd like to reschedule his appointment for tomorrow, if that is possible."

There was the clicking of a keyboard and a few papers rustled. "Okay, we can get you in tomorrow at..." The woman paused. "Nine o' clock. Would you like me to put you in?"

She gave a relieved smile. "Yes, thank you."

"You're welcome~! We'll be seeing you then." The woman sounded cheery.

Irunya sighed as she glanced over the corner at the dining room. "Alright, we'll be there. Thank you." She clicked the phone off and set it down, sighing again. Ivan's hushed voice traveled over, making her feel even more concerned. _"I hope Mr. Williams can help..."_

She walked back into the dinning room and searched around for her son. It had strangely become silent and that worried her even more. "Vanya? Are... are you ok sweetie?" A little whimper came from under the table, informing her of his location. Irunya quietly and calmly knelt down onto her knees, glancing over at the small boy. Ivan was huddled in the fetal position, sobbing. She closed her eyes solemnly and inched over. He moved over to huddle into her, shaking violently. She wrapped her arms around him protectively, pushing the side of his head to her chest. He cried louder, clinging to her shirt for dear life. Irunya petting his head tenderly, whispering comforting words in Russian. "It'll be ok, I'm here. You're safe, the monsters wont hurt you anymore."

Ivan looked up to her face, his eyes huge and gleaming with a mixture of fear and paranoia. "M-Mama d-do you think I'm c-crazy?" He hiccuped.

Irunya shook her head, frowning sadly. "No, of course not."

He looked back down at the ground, unconvinced. "Mmhmm..."

She leaned down and kissed the top of his head, rocking the both of them gently. "It'll all be over soon, I promise."

Ivan hoped it was true, glancing over to his shadow wearily. It had returned to normal, outlining his form almost perfectly.

They were both putting all of their hope into Matthew, for if he failed Ivan may have to have more serious help. Neither him nor his mom wanted to resort to such unpleasant things.

**A/N Holy crap guys, I'm SO sorry for the late update! I will make sure that this will be updated at least every other week. (If not sooner that is.)**


	3. Observations

Matthew sat at his desk with his hands folded in front of himself, though he looked a bit off today. Ugly black bags hung under his eyes and he looked particularly pale. Sleep hadn't occupied his time the night before, only vivid images of the same nightmare from the day before. Each time the message was similar and more ominous than the last. Though the idea he got from it was; "Don't help him or you'll be sorry." He couldn't understand why he was having these strange dreams. Perhaps he was nervous about his new patient.

He cleared his throat and evened his papers on his desk. The poor thing was due to come back again some time soon. Ivan's mother had called yesterday to reschedule his appointment sooner due to his most recent episode.

Matthew glanced up to the clock hanging on the wall above his head, nervously cracking his knuckles. Again he found himself imagining the same ghostly face that had been haunting him. A chill ran down his spine and he turned his head back forward. _"__No, don't think about it, it's just your nerves."_

A moment later he heard a soft knock on his door and a familiar voice greeted him. "Dr. Williams?" Irunya asked, pushing the door in a bit.

Matthew put on a calm smile and nodded. "Come in Mrs. Braginsky." He silently cursed himself as his voice shook.

She whispered something quickly and urgently before slowly creaking the door open. "Thank you for allowing us to reschedule, I was just very concerned and I didn't know what else to do." Irunya led the way inside his office, Ivan following close behind.

"That's quite okay, I understand completely." Matthew's gaze flicked from the woman down to her son, concern flashing in his eyes. Ivan was staring down at his shoes in shame, his eyes dark and tired. Matthew felt sympathy for the child, Ivan was really, really sick. But that could all be fixed now, that is where he stepped in. The thought gave him a slight burst of confidence. He was in good hands now, if past psychiatrists could not help him, he certainly could. _"__Alfred sure is rubbing off on me with this pride thing."_

Irunya turned around and knelt down to look Ivan in the face. His reaction was visibly slow as he lifted his head. It seemed as though it was made of concrete for how heavy he made it look. She rested her hands on his shoulders, her voice urgent. "Vanya, Mama's going to be in the other room, I need you to stay in here with Dr. Williams, he will help you. Please, I know how uncomfortable it is, but I know you are very strong just like your father. You can get through this."

Ivan stared back with dull sleepless eyes. "Da, mama." He mumbled in a low voice.

Irunya rubbed her thumb over his cheek lovingly, clearly holding back tears. "I love you."

"I love you too mama." His mother leaned over and wrapped him in a tight hug. He limply accepted it, his head turning to look at Matthew.

Matthew gave him a welcoming smile. Ivan blinked slowly, his frown deepening. He was clearly very unhappy with the arrangements.

Irunya pulled away and sniffled. She was already crying. Matthew waved goodbye as she collected herself up and turned to leave. "We'll come to you when our session is over Mrs. Braginsky."

She nodded and gave a quiet goodbye, her voice shaky. Ivan watched her leave, his mood dropping even further.

Matthew frowned and stood up from his desk. "It's alright Ivan, I wont hurt you."

He shook his head and closed his eyes. "I know."

Matthew strode over to the boy and leaned down to his level. "What's bothering you Ivan?" He asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to alert him.

Ivan glanced up, a pained look on his face. "It is watching..." He whispered in a terrified voice.

"Who? Who is watching?"

The boy glanced over his shoulder and quickly snapped it back forward. "_Him._"

Matthew tilted his head in question. "Can you describe _'__him' _for me?" He asked curiously.

Ivan picked his head up and stared straight into his eyes. Matthew observed the way that the violet color seemed to swirl and dance with emotion, fear. A chill ran down his spine, somehow he knew. He knew what it was the boy was seeing. But how? Wasn't it just a terrible dream? No, this is all just a coincidence.

"H-he won't leave me alone! You have to believe me! I-I'm not crazy!" He blurted out, waving his arms in exasperation.

Matthew shook his head. "No, no, no. I don't think your crazy, I believe you Ivan."

Ivan began to shake again. "You're just like m-mama and the rest of them, you can't see him! He's there, I know he is!"

Matthew rested his hands on his shoulders comfortingly. "Yes, I know he's there." He turned frowned lightly. "Sometimes people need a little extra help seeing things, you don't always find things that are actually there the first time you glance over."

Ivan whimpered. "B-but why me?" He asked hopelessly.

The older male sighed and gently petted the boy's hair. "That is why I'm going to help you. I promise, when I'm done helping you, you won't have to deal with _him _any longer."

"That's what they all said... but they gave up on me..." Ivan said in a low voice as he picked at the folds of his scarf.

Matthew's eyebrows stitched together. "Well I wont give up on you, we're going to get through this together."

He was silent for a moment. "They said that too..."

Mattie shook his head. "I'm not just saying it, I know I can help you." He gave a friendly smile. "Come on, do you like to draw, Ivan?"

Ivan looked up and shrugged. "Okay."

"There you go, let's go to the crayon table." He leaned his hand down for the boy to grasp, happy to get off the subject. He mentally shut away his suspicions as to what or who the creature that was plaguing Ivan's mind was. Though later it would probably eat at him and prevent him from yet another good night's rest.

Ivan hesitantly reached over and gripped his hand. His glove were warm in the palm of his hand. He lead the boy over to the table and sat him down in the same chair from the day before. "What is it you like to draw?" Matthew asked curiously, reaching over to pick up a piece of paper and the box of crayons.

The russian boy blinked slowly at the sheet placed in front of himself. Matthew noticed how his mind wasn't fully connecting to the question. He wondered how long it had been since he had a solid twelve hours of sleep.

"I... I like to draw sunflowers." He muttered.

Matthew's smile grew. "How about you draw me some for my wall?" He asked encouragingly.

Ivan leaned over for the crayon box with a nod. "Sure." He opened it up and slipped out the 'macaroni and cheese' and 'oak brown' and 'moss green' crayons. He went back to the paper and began with the long green stalks for the sunflower stems. Matthew watched contently as Ivan began to make brown circles for the centers of the sunflowers.

"You're a very good artist~" He commented.

Ivan was silent, completely in focus. Matthew tried to think of what might be going on in his head at the moment. It was one of his little quirks to try to understand what his patients tend to think about while they occupy themselves. The mind tends to wander from the body as it is set on a task, adventuring deeper into their brain. Was Ivan thinking of the 'thing', or had it evaporated when he focused on other things? Was he imagining better things? He was a child after all. Children usually retreat to their own happy realities to protect themselves from nightmarish thoughts.

His own mind had focused on the soft scuffle of crayon on paper and he felt at peace. The clank of a crayon as it was set down, the pause before it was replaced with a new one. Ivan's tired breaths, his own breathing. It was a sluggish feeling.

Matthew's eyes focused back again and he watched Ivan rotate through the different shades of yellow in an effort to make some darker and some lighter. Half of the sunflowers were bare while some had already been colored in. "It looks beautiful." He said gently.

Ivan did not answer, but a few minutes later his coloring was interrupted by a yawn. At the sight of his yawn, Matthew couldn't hold back his own. Instead of feeling more alert and awake afterwards, he felt even more tired. _"__God I'm tired..." _He thought.

He could imagine that his patient was in the same boat.

With his fatigue he blurted out the first question on his mind rather than thinking it over first and wording it better. "Would you like to take a nap?" He asked.

The soft crayon scuffles were interrupted by one single scritch. Matthew's eyes widened a bit at the realization of his mistake. A long yellow streak ran up the sheet and onto the table. Ivan's shoulders trembled and he dropped the crayon.

"O-oh, I didn't mean-" Matthew desperately tried to erase his mistake.

"P-please no! H-he'll hurt me!" Ivan screamed, quickly hiding his head in his arms. "I'm not tired! I-I'm not tired!"

Matthew could feel the dark chilling mood wrap around them, slowly closing in. He reached a hand out to rest it on Ivan's back, but he leaned away from the touch.

"G-go away! Leave me alone!" He screamed, throwing himself from the chair and onto the ground.

Matthew stood from his chair and held both of his hands in front of himself in a defensive manner. "Ivan, it's alright! I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Stop! P-please!" Ivan crawled backwards, his eyes focused straight onto Matthew.

He was sent into a confused spiral. _"Sleep is clearly a very touchy subject, but why? Insomniacs don't fear sleep, so what is wrong?"_

Ivan began to ramble on about something in Russian, leaving Matthew clueless. He wished he could understand so badly because what he was saying could be crucial to his diagnosis. He could only watch as the boy glanced all around the room, eventually closing his eyes tight.

Matthew took this moment to lean down and make an effort to calm him down. He took a quiet approach first. "Ivan. Ivan, you're okay, everything is fine." Ivan squirmed with a pained look on his face.

"Mama!" He screamed in fear.

Matthew reached down and picked him up from under his arms. Ivan fought his grip to no avail, his eyes still tightly shut. "Let go! I didn't do anything wrong! Please!"

He wrapped him in a hug. "It's okay, sh, sh, sh, it's alright Ivan. The monster isn't going to get you." Matthew whispered.

Ivan wrapped his arms around the back of his neck and squeezed as hard as he could. "D-don't let him get me p-please!" He begged.

"He wont get you, I'm here." Matthew rubbed circles into the boy's back soothingly.

Ivan buried his face into his neck. "Why doesn't he go away!?" He asked, his voice cracking.

Matthew closed his eyes and sighed. "It takes time, I'm sorry, I really am." He could feel rocks weigh heavily in the pit of his stomach. _"I'm really, really sorry. I wish I could take the pain away." _He felt terrible. Whenever a child broke down in his office he felt a connection. As a child, he also had breakdowns. He used to have the crippling fear of being forgotten. But now as an adult it was clear that he had family that loved him and he had patients that relied on him. He needed people, and people needed him. Including Ivan.

Several minutes passed consisting of Ivan crying into his neck and slowly calming down. His quick an panicked breaths slowed, and his cries for help died down. He opened his eyes and reached a hand up to feel Matthew's hair. A long time passed before he spoke clearly again.

"I'm sorry Mr. Williams." He mumbled, looking down at the fabric of Matthew's t-shirt.

Matthew shook his head dismissively. "Are you okay?" He asked with concern.

Ivan made an audible swallow. "I-I think so..." He pushed away from the other's neck to look him in the face. "Thank you."

Matthew tilted his head questioningly. "For what?"

The boy looked down in embarrassment. "For keeping me safe... from Winter."

A chill ran up his spine. _"So it's true." _He shivered and shook his head to clear it. "Y-your welcome." His voice cracked.A few long and silent moments passed before another thought crossed his mind. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Ivan opened his mouth to say something, but he seemed reluctant. His mouth closed again and he blinked. Clearly he was in no mood to share.

"That's alright, we can talk about it later." Matthew's smile returned. "Do you want to finish your picture so I can hang it up for next time?"

Ivan nodded, his shoulders relaxing. "Da." He said, walking back to the table. Matthew followed him and grabbed his own sheet of paper. They both went to drawing and coloring for a while longer. Matthew's mind raced faster than his hand could move. His mental list of illnesses had a few less to choose from. He had a sinking feeling that Ivan had a serious phobia of sleep or other things related. It would explain his fatigue and breakdowns.

He looked down at his own drawing, a light blush heating his cheeks. Unconsciously, he had drawn the ghostly man from his nightmare. Matthew glanced over towards Ivan, moving his arm to hide the image. He let out a long sigh and glanced back down at his work. The icy blue eyes stared straight at him, and for a moment he could have sworn he saw a smirk spread across his face. He leaned his chin onto one hand and stared down at it in thought.

"What's your thing 'Winter'?" He asked under his breath.

"Hmm?" Ivan looked over, blinking questioningly.

Matthew matched his gaze with a smile. "Nothing, are you finished?" He glanced over towards the picture.

Ivan looked over to his drawing and a rare smile lighting his features. "Da, do you like it?"

Matthew almost 'awwd'. It was a drawing of a sunflower field with a rough scribbles of four people. "Who are they?" He asked, pointing to them.

Ivan's smile grew. "There's you," he pointed a pudgy finger towards the second tallest person with blonde hair and purple eyes with glasses.. "And here's Mama," There was a third tallest person with a feminine frame and eyelashes. "And here's me~" Ivan tapped the smallest person wearing a long scarf and heavy winter clothing.

Matthew nodded and smiled. Then something struck him and his gut lurched. "And who's that next to you?" He asked, pointing towards the tallest figure dressed in all black.

Ivan hummed. "That's Winter, he always seems to be in all of our family pictures, so I thought it nice to include him here too. He's much nicer here, see?" He pointed to the joyous smile drawn on the old man's frigid features.

Matthew nodded, feeling slightly relieved at the good intention. "That's awful nice of you."

"Mhmm~" He picked up the picture and stood up. "Can we hang it up now?" Ivan asked excitedly.

Matthew smiled warmly. "Yes, we can hang it up now." He stood up and strode over to the wall behind his desk. "Where would you like it?" He turned to the boy questioningly.

Ivan smiled and pointed towards the empty space right beside the picture of his brother Alfred. "There?"

Matthew chuckled. "Sure." He took the page from Ivan's hands and retrieved the tape from his desk. After leveling the page and taping it down carefully, he took a step back to stand beside Ivan.

The boy clapped his gloved hands together. "I love it!" He cheered happily.

Matthew glowed with joy. He had achieved not only a smile from Ivan, but a cheer too. They were making ground and that made him feel amazing.

"Do you want to go back to your mother now?" He asked.

Ivan nodded. "Sure." Just as the day before, Matthew led Ivan back down his hall and into the waiting room.

Irunya was more than happy to see Ivan so alive. She was close to tears again as she thanked Matthew. He felt like bursting with happiness with all of the good feelings.

This time when Ivan left, he gave a more enthusiastic farewell. "Do svidaniya~!" He called over Irunya's shoulder as she carried him out of his office.

"Goodbye Ivan!" He called back, waving his hand. This appointment had gone very well. He actually looked forward to the next one. Ivan was such a nice boy, it was a shame he was so sick.

**A/N Sorry if this feels short, I'm working harder to bring you more soon :) I just took a little break from writing for a week.**


	4. Not-so-Imaginary Friends

Ivan nervously played with his thumbs as he stood on the outside of his school. All of the other kids had already gone in for classes two hours before. His mother dropped him off late after he had slept in. He cringed at the thought of sleep, instinctively looking over his shoulder. Why couldn't he just stay awake all of the time? Why did he have to pass out due to exhaustion every night? When he was asleep he was at his most vulnerable and Winter did not pass up a chance to make every moment of his life stressful. While awake, Winter wasn't so bad compared to his dream form. Chills ran up his spine at the thought of his ugly miss-shapen face filled with rows and rows of jagged teeth staring at him. Winter seemed even more real while he slept, he could hurt him then. During the day, he was blessed with an invisible barrier that protected him from the old man's deadly grasp.

_"Oh come on, even you know that isn't true, Vanya." _The old man's voice echoed around him. Ivan whimpered and cowered into his scarf.

Old man winter blew a gust of cold air over towards Ivan with a curved grin. _"I can give you frostbite whenever I please and you can't do anything about it." _Ivan's hair buffeted in this sudden force of air, revealing his reddening ears. He chuckled darkly as a visible shiver wracked the boy's body._  
><em>

"S-stop!" He begged, clenching his fists.

Winter's grin only grew. _"You've a long day ahead of you boy." _

Ivan's eyebrows furrowed and he turned to the man. "What do you me-"

"Ivan! What are you doing out here?! Classes have started hours ago!" Ivan jumped in surprise as the front door was swung open to reveal his teacher. She stood in the frame with her hands on her hips and angered scowl pulling on her usually delicate features.

He felt his ears and neck grow increasingly hot and he stumbled over his thoughts. "I-I umh, w-well..." Before he could finish, he was pulled forward by the wrist.

"I should call your mother young man! Behavior like this isn't good Ivan! I expect a good boy like you to come straight to school, not lolly gag outside!" His teacher said with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry Ma'am" Ivan murmured, looking down at his boots.

His teacher lead him towards the classroom, stopping right before the door. She sighed and knelt down to face him. "It's fine Ivan, just please don't do that again. Your mother called and told us that she dropped you off late, I was worried that something had happened when you didn't come right in." She flattened a fold in his scarf. "Promise me that you'll come right in next time?"

Ivan nodded slowly. "Yes, ma'am." He answered, turning to the door.

His teacher gave a small relieved smile. "Good." She stood up and turned the knob. The door pushed in to reveal a brightly colored classroom filled with all toys and playthings imaginable. This was Ivan's kindergarten classroom. His teacher lead him in, gently pulling him by the wrist. Ivan shrunk further into his scarf as he viewed the chaotic scene of kindergartners running about unsupervised.

Winter was right, today was definitely going to be a long day.

Children ran about, chasing each other with all colors of finger-paint splattered on their clothes and in their hair. Their laughter was deafening, Ivan wondered how he hadn't heard it from outside the door. His eyes scowered the whole scene to see if he could find any clear spots to sit. There was one spot beside the cubbys, perhaps he could hide there until everyone calmed down a bit. He glanced to his side to find that his teacher had disappeared in the direction of her desk, leaving him alone in the front of the classroom. A nervous wave washed over him and he made a small whimper. Sucking up his courage, he entered the crowd of rowdy children. He ducked left and right as wooden blocks were tossed back and forth between two children, nearly hitting him. He quickly threw himself to the side as another classmate came running like a blur in his direction, just nearly causing a collision. Ivan quickened his pace, tightening his hold on the strap of his book-bag.

He felt like he was surfacing from a thick pool of water as he stepped into the safety of the cubbys, letting out a breath he had unknowingly held. Ivan stopped near the corner where his own cubby sit labeled "Ivan Braginsky" with white duct-tape. He slipped off his Winnie the Pooh backpack and hung it on the hook, resting his head against the cool wood. A sigh escaped his lips and he slowly slid down onto the ground, landing on the pile of coats that had been carelessly tossed there. _"Peace and quiet." _He thought. _"Sort of." _Ivan watched as the children played a few feet in front of him, not a care in sight. No matter how much he hoped to make friends with one of them he was doomed to be an outcast with his fears and personality. Some of them made fun of him for his fear and some were freaked out by his descriptions of his unintended companion. Usually they would just keep to themselves and leave him be. He was glad for that even if it wasn't a great thing.

He reached up and unzipped his bag to retrieve his own play-thing. Ivan slipped out a book and set it down on his lap. The cover was decorated with a bright sub-urban scene with a little blonde girl holding the leash to a large red dog. Three other colorful dogs followed them, each one in the middle of either jumping or running. Ivan smiled. He loved Clifford the Big Red dog, it was his favorite book. Opening it to the first page, he began to read the simple sentences aloud.

"Clifford goes to the beach."

He flipped a page.

"One summer day, Clifford and I went on a trip to the beach to cool off. He was very excited!"

Flip.

"We had to pack sunscreen, towels, and an umbrella before I hopped onto his back and we left."

Flip.

"On our way, we bumped into two of Clifford's friends who also wanted to come with us. They also brought their things for the beach."

Flip.

"When we got there, we made sand castles with the sand!"

Flip.

"I found a pretty shell in the sand and put it on top. Clifford went swimming in the water!"

Flip.

"When he came back, he shook all of the water from his fur and got us all wet!"

Flip.

"We laughed and laughed as I chased him back to the water."

Flip.

"We all had a splash fight and Clifford won with his big red tail!"

Ivan giggled at the picture of the dog wagging his enormous tail through the water. He continued to read until he reached the end, closing up the book again to eye his surroundings. His classmates were all still being rowdy and obnoxious as usual. In the corner of his eye however, he caught the image of someone coming over. He turned his head, tilting it slightly in question. He had never seen this person before.

They had unkempt blonde hair and bright emerald eyes, though his most striking feature was his enormous eyebrows. Ivan felt instinctive to pull his book tighter to his chest, afraid that this new child would try to take it from him or pick on him. To his complete surprise, the boy held no anger in his face, only slight curiosity.

The boy cam up to him and sat down beside him, glancing over to his book. "I see you're not like the other kids, you like the quiet too. What's that you have there?" He asked, pointing a pudgy finger towards his book.

Ivan blinked in confusion, glancing down at his book. "O-oh, uh well, this is my favorite book..." His eyes flicked over to the boy's confused face. "Would you like to see?" He asked nervously.

The boy "hmm'ed". "Sure."

Ivan offered the book to him, smiling with an embarrassed blush. The boy took it from his extended hand and eyed the front page. Ivan nervously twiddled his thumbs, watching as the boy flipped through the pages. He hoped that they weren't thinking of ripping or damaging it in any way, he might cry if he did.

"Hmm... Clifford goes to the beach? Not one of my favorites, but nice none-the-less. Thank you for letting me read it." He handed the book back over.

Ivan hummed with a smile. "No problem..." He watched the boy look around the room with a frustrated expression.

"I hate it here, it's always too loud. The stupid gits don't know when to shut up." He crossed his arms with an agitated grumble.

Ivan shrugged. "I guess you're right. It's not so fun, but mama says that school is a good opportunity to make friends."

The boy glanced over with a raised eyebrow. "Friends? More like idiots."

Ivan tilted his head curiously. "What's your name?" He asked.

The boy offered his hand. "My name's Arthur, I just moved here from England a few days ago."

Ivan took his hand in his own, feeling giddy to meet someone not rude towards him. "My name is Ivan, I came from Russia last year."

Arthur nodded and broke the handshake. "Nice to meet you."

Ivan smiled warmly. "You too."

They both watched as the other children ran around like maniacs, Arthur rambling on and on about how stupid they were being while Ivan just silently agreed. He wondered if this was what it was like to make friends, being able to openly talk to someone without worrying about them bullying him. Though sometimes as Arthur spoke, he wondered if he was even talking to him.

"Hey Ivan?" Arthur asked, breaking into his thoughts.

He turned to him. "Hmm?"

Arthur looked a bit awkward with what he was about to say. He looked down at his palms for a moment before speaking. "Do you... eh, see fairies.. like I do?" His eyes bore into Ivan, looking for an answer.

Ivan cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Arthur waved a hand in front of himself. "Well, do you see things that others claim not to?" Ivan could see how his eyes seemed to stare, pinpointed on things like the floor or the windowsill when nothing was there.

He struggled to answer. "Um... well..."

Arthur sighed. "My mum says that it's just my imagination and my brothers say it's because I read too many fairy tales. But I know what I see, they just pretend to ignore it."

Ivan placed his hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I know what you mean. My mama says that I just need to nap more often, but then it get's worse." He felt a shiver run down his spine. "What kinds of things do you see?"

Arthur seemed to relax a bit with his answer. "All kinds of things, but usually I just see flying-mint bunny. He's my best friend." He brightened up. "Whenever I'm down, he's always there to cheer me up."

Ivan saddened at this. Why couldn't Winter be nice like that? "I only see one, but he isn't very nice." He pouted.

Arthur turned to him, furrowing his caterpillar eyebrows. "Why is that? What is he?"

Ivan shifted uncomfortably. "He's mean and doesn't let me do very much. Whenever he's around he makes me cold."

Arthur frowned. "Is that why you're wearing such heavy clothing?" He asked, gesturing to Ivan's scarf and winter coat.

"Da."

"Why don't you tell him to be nicer? I'm sure he's just a little grumpy."

Ivan looked down at the ground. "He's scary. I'm not sure if he would listen to me."

Arthur put his hands on his hips. "I doubt that! You should tell him to be nicer!"

Ivan nodded his head with a small embarrassed squeak. "Okay."

Arthur patted his shoulder. "It's okay, he'll listen. I've had some mean sprites visit me before, you just have to show them kindness. They'll learn."

Ivan smiled in appreciation. "Okay, thank you, Arthur."

The brit nodded. "No problem. It was nice talking to you Ivan." He stood up and brushed off his clothes.

Ivan smiled warmly. "I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure, I'd like to introduce you to some of my fairy friends some time." Arthur turned and walked over to the other side of the room where a ton of other books lie strewn out across the floor.

Ivan wondered if he should follow him, but just decided to stay where he was. When lunch time came, he reached up and took out his spider-man lunchbox from his bag. He followed the rest of the children out of the room in a single file line, taking up the back. As usual, he sat alone at his own table, enjoying his usual turkey sandwich. Though to him, he wasn't very alone. Winter sat on the other side of the table, a mischievous grin on his face. Ivan tried his best to ignore him and pretend that the old man wasn't even there.

_"How was your little chat with that pansy Arthur? You think a few nice words will really change me?"_

Ivan frowned and glanced up, clearly his plan of ignoring him hadn't worked. "There's got to be some good in you. That's why you haven't eaten me like you say you will."

Winter's grin melted into a scowl. _"Who says I'm not going to have my fun first? You still fear me, no?"_

Ivan sighed and looked away. "N-no." He knew it was a mistake to say just as it escaped his lips. Being brave with Winter never worked.

He could feel the frigid howl of wind blow around him, chilling him to the bone. A little whimper escaped his mouth and he closed his eyes, not wanting to see the horror of Winter's 'angry face.' Icy cold hands wrapped themselves around his arms and he began to shake.

_"Open your eyes Ivan~ Watch your fears unfold!" _The claws began to dig into his skin, causing him to whine. _"Come now, I know you're afraid of me~"_

Ivan shook his head. "N-nyet!"

_"You're a pitiful excuse for a boy! Go ahead and pee your pants little baby! You're a coward and you're afraid of me! Open you eyes before I cut them!"_

"Stop it! Stop!" His voice became increasingly louder. "L-let go!"

_"Face me Vanya! Look at me while I'm speaking to you!" _Ivan could faintly smell rot on his breath.

He snapped his eyes open and screamed. "Go away you monster!"

The whole lunchroom instantly became silent. Everyone stopped what they were doing to face him. Ivan blinked his teary eyes a few times, allowing th person before him to come into focus. His stomach churned and his cheeks burned red.

Arthur was gripping both of his arms, an agitated frown on his face. "What has gotten into you!?" He asked, staring straight into Ivan's fearful eyes.

Ivan hiccuped and looked down at the table. "I-I... I'm sorry... I just... mph." He pushed away and looked down at himself. "Oww." He rubbed his arms, shaking his head. Arthur tried to grab his arms again, but Ivan quickly stood up and rushed for the bathroom, tears running down his reddened cheeks.

The room erupted with laughter, all of the children joking and giggling about Ivan's little episode. Arthur shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows. "Wankers! The lot of you!" He yelled, staring angrily at them with his smoldering emerald eyes. They quieted down the slightest bit, but still giggled amongst themselves. He got to see first hand just how cruel they could be, and he hated it. "Just because he can see things you can't doesn't mean that you should laugh at him! You are the ones who should be laughed at!" He balled his fists and walked out in the direction Ivan had disappeared.

One boy sat at the same table Arthur and Ivan had been at, a frown on his face. He watched as Arthur walked away, sighing. "You guys have really done it this time." He returned to his lunch and waited patiently for his friend to return. Francis had been made fun of when they were all in preschool because of his sense of fashion, he knew very well what it felt like. They told him that he looked like a girl with his long blonde hair and flashy clothes. Afterwards, he had taken on the roll of helping new kids adjust to their school, and Arthur had been his newest friend. Now with Arthur, Ivan, and him, they seemed to have formed the outcast clique. It didn't bother him much, at least he wasn't with a bunch of jerks.

* * *

><p>Arthur listened on the outside of the bathroom door as Ivan cried inside, feeling pity for him. He hated it when someone made fun of him for what only he could see, he could relate to how Ivan must have felt. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door in and walked inside. All of the stalls were open except for one, and when he bent down to look at the floor, he could see Ivan's scarf tails dragging on the floor.<p>

"Ivan? Are you okay?" He asked, gently knocking on the stall.

Ivan immediately became silent, sniffling up his tears. "I'm f-fine." He stated, his voice shaky and unsure.

Arthur sighed. "It's alright, those gits out there don't know what their laughing about. Their stupid."

Ivan hiccuped. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you..."

Arthur shook his head. "That's fine, I can understand. You were scared, sometimes I can get scared too."

"R-really?" Ivan asked.

He nodded. "Yes, but you just have to remember that no matter how scary the thing is, it will always have some good in it, you just have to find it."

Ivan sniffled. "B-but he said that he wouldn't change... t-then he tried to hurt me!"

Arthur leaned his head against the stall. "Can you come out?"

There was silence for a moment.

Then Arthur saw Ivan's boots make contact with the flooring and he heard the click of the lock. He took a step back and waited for the door to open. Ivan stood in the frame, rubbing his puffy red eyes, tears still pouring down his face.

Arthur reached out and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. "It's alright, I'm your friend, I'll be here for you."

Ivan cried into his shoulder, wrapping his arms around him for comfort. "O-okay... Th-thank you A-arthur."

"Your welcome."

They stood like that for a few minutes before the bathroom door opened again. Francis poked his head in. "Hey guys, we're going back to the classroom." He glanced over and spotted the two, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Are you alright now Ivan?"

Ivan stood back from Arthur and nodded. "Da, I think so."

He stood back and held the door for them. "Good. My name's Francis by the way."

Ivan and Arthur both walked out, continuing towards the lunchroom to retrieve their lunchboxes. Arthur murmured something as he passed by Francis. "More like frog."

Francis giggled. "Yea, yea, whatever you want to call me, I'm still older than you."

Arthur became visibly irritated. "Only by a few months!"

Ivan felt a small giggle rise in his throat. Now he had not only one friend, but two. Today wasn't as bad as Winter had predicted. Dare he say it was his best.

When he was sitting in the backseat of his mother's car on the ride home, he couldn't help but smile and wave to the buses as they drove away. Two little faces smiled back from the windows, waving to him.

"How was your day Vanya?" His mother asked, glancing up in the rear-view mirror.

Ivan surprisingly for once said "Good."

**A/N ****Nyawww~ Wittle France and England make wittle Russia feel better! Awe! *explodes* **

**Okay so with the few references to Winnie the Pooh, Clifford and Spider-man, I was just going with the kind of stuff I remember from when I was younger. The book Ivan reads isn't really based on a real one, though I can guess that there was a Clifford book about going to the beach.**

**(No I'm not shipping Russia and England, their just friends with something in common!) Right flying-mint bunny?**

**See you guys next chapter ;)**


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